Rice faces tough battle on Turkey trip

---

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters): Turkey will push US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this week to follow through on promises to help eradicate Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq but experts say the top US diplomat's hands are tied.
Rice arrives in Ankara Friday for talks with Turkey's leaders, before going to Istanbul for a meeting of Iraq's neighbours and major powers that is also expected to be dominated by tensions between Iraq and Turkey.
"I can't imagine what she is going to be able to do in terms of pulling a rabbit out of the hat that would enable her to leave claiming that some progress had been made," said Mark Parris, a former US ambassador to Turkey.
Turkey has threatened a military incursion into northern Iraq, from where Kurdish rebels have launched attacks, but has so far heeded Washington's call for restraint.
Washington fears an incursion by Turkey -- a NATO ally and key conduit for supplies to US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan -- would further destabilise an already volatile region.